5 Qualities of a CX Solution That Will Guarantee Top-Down Investment

We aren’t going to sugarcoat it for the sake of politeness – if you’re a senior manager for a contact centre, you’ve got a very hard job on your hands.

 

As if being up to your eyeballs running the business day-to-day wasn’t enough, you’re now under constant pressure to bring CX practices up to scratch.

 

These things are always easier said than done, we understand that. (Three of our senior leadership team have either managed, run or worked within outsourcing and customer management operations after all!)

We also understand that senior managers – whether they’re responsible for running a contact centre or customer service team – are in a uniquely unfortunate position. 

 

Not only are you burdened with the responsibility of delivering new solutions and systems improvements, but you have to convince the board that they’re worth the investment, without promptly being shown to the door.

 

Before you can even begin to start thinking about whether the CX solution you’re eyeing up can provide the performance, efficiency and visibility results you need, you have to be sure that the C-suite is going to see it as a worthwhile investment.

 

Thankfully, we know the 5 most common points of conjecture when it comes to securing investment in a new CX solution.

 

Read on to find out what they are and how you can vet your choice of CX solution to effectively address any concerns.

 

 

We thought we’d get the obvious one out of the way first.

 

Asking the powers that be for money is an unavoidable part of securing any kind of system upgrade. And it never gets any easier.

 

But, if you can find a solution with transparent, manageable, and predictable costs, it might just save you from feeling like you’re about to take your final steps towards the gallows.

 

We suggest a subscription-based solution, with transparent costs clearly outlined in a monthly package for a flat billing rate. That way cashflow won’t be an obstacle.

Most contact centre teams already face the issue of having too many different systems and channels as it is.

 

The last thing the board will want to do if this is the case is add anything that may bring further complications.

 

They need to be assured that they are investing in something that can leverage their existing systems, business-critical data, and operational infrastructure, and can therefore easily be aligned with their long-term strategic objectives.

 

We suggest you shoot for a solution with published APIs. 

 

This will allow for seamless integration with your existing systems (thereby streamlining your operations, rather than adding to their complexity) while bringing the assurance of futureproofing your operations. 

The ability to leverage all the data and information from your other systems via one interface will significantly enhance the contextual information your agents or users have at their fingertips, making superior CX easier to deliver.

Not only do you need a solution that can integrate seamlessly with your systems, it should also carry rapid deployment time, and rapid time to value.

 

To most senior leadership teams, implementing new systems means laborious set-up and consultancy processes – which no one wants to pay for.

Then after that there’s installation, configuration, testing... 

 

Months can go by before these things even begin, let alone near completion.

What’s worse, they come with the added cost of operational downtime, and usually increased budget requests, too. 

 

To ensure your solution can start delivering value as soon as possible, we suggest you go for something cloud-based (no surprise there).

That way, you can bypass the demand of on-site set-up processes, and get your new solution up and running without any downtime, or negative impact on your Customer Experience.

While cloud-based contact centre solutions can unlock the myriad benefits that come from remote working capabilities, they also carry some lesser-discussed risks to bear in mind.

 

Remote working can be isolating for individual employees, both physically and emotionally. Both of these factors can present newfound risks with regards to compliance.

 

When you take an employee away from the immediate physical support of the office environment you’ve worked so hard to foster, this can distance them from the usual processes that serve to safeguard your business on a daily basis.

 

When working remotely, an employee may therefore be more vulnerable to sophisticated phishing attacks, and other cyber threats.

 

There are also important risks to bear in mind regarding the data privacy of your customers. You need to be able to guarantee that their information is secure in order for them to feel safe and at ease throughout the Customer Experience, and in order to remain compliant.

 

Keeping up with regulatory changes can be tough work, so invest in a service provider and solution that keeps you covered no matter what.

 

Opting for a provider with the right compliance certifications is okay, but you will get the best results from an organisation that has compliance embedded in their DNA – look for someone with compliance and/or secure payment systems as part of their portfolio. 

5. Lack of support

While contact centre solutions can hugely streamline and simplify processes that bolster CX, that doesn’t mean they don’t require a certain level of expertise. 

 

It’s a steep learning curve, and one that most in senior management are too task-rich and time-poor to take on alone.

 

The key is to invest in a partner, not just a platform. Making lasting improvements to your CX takes more than an out-the-box solution. It takes continual assistance and maintenance for months and years to follow. 

 

Thankfully, if you’re going for a subscription-based service as advised above, support will more than likely be part of the package. 

On-hand technical support is a truly invaluable thing when it comes to getting your Customer Experience to where you want it to be, so use it for all it’s worth!